1. Field of the Invention
The apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to managing a user interface, and more particularly, to managing a user interface in which a state of a user interface of an application provided by a server on a network is managed using a hypertext markup language (HTML) and a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).
2. Description of the Related Art
Technologies that provide an application by a remote server include Microsoft's remote desktop protocol (RDP) and Intel's extended remote protocol. These remote technologies are based on a binary bitmap transmission protocol, and when providing an application they have a drawback of requiring a large network bandwidth. In particular, when a user interface of a remote application uses audio and/or video streaming, the required bandwidth of a network becomes larger.
Meanwhile, a user who performs a job using an application provided by a server through a predetermined client may later request a consistent user interface when the user performs a job using the application through another client. That is, the user wants the same user interface, which was used for a job that was finished through a first client, to be displayed through a second client.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system providing a remote application in a case where a client has been changed. Referring to FIG. 1, in a universal plug and play (UPnP) environment, the system is composed of a remote control point 10, a remote server 20, a first remote client 31 and a second remote client 32.
Networking operations of the UPnP environment include addressing, discovery, description, control, eventing, and presentation. The remote control point 10 confirms that a connection with the first remote client 31 is operating. Then, the remote control point 10 makes the remote server 20 maintain the state of a user interface for the currently operating connection for a predetermined time and makes the remote server 20 store the state.
Then, the remote control point 10 terminates the connection between the remote server 20 and the first remote client 31, establishes a connection between the remote server 20 and the second remote client 32, and then commands the remote server 20 to provide the stored user interface to the second remote client 32.
However, among the various states of the user interface, in addition to the user interface states managed by the remote server 20, there are also states managed by the remote clients 31 and 32. For example, client cookies of a web browser, a form input, and an audio/video object are all managed by remote clients. Accordingly, the states of the user interface stored in the remote server 20 according to the conventional technology do not include the states managed by the remote clients 31 and 32.
When the remote server 20 does not have a storage unit, there is no method of storing and restoring the states of a user interface. Thus, there is a need to solve this problem.